One Bright Day
by Divey
Summary: [Updated: Chapter 2] Ok... Here we go. Ahem. Canard [insane cutiepie that he is] has decided that he is going to get rid of the Mighty Ducks, aka: the MD's descendants, once and for all. How much are the five of them going to lose?
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Right. Insert Disclaimer here. 

On a more story-centred note, one might want to read the previous "The More Things Change" in order to get a grasp on who's who and what's what and all that jazz.

Still, I know that _I'd_ be too lazy to check it out, so here are some brief pointers:

--Takes place nine hundred years in the future

--Canard's insane. And immortal.

--Mighty Ducks descendents:

Wildwing -- Drakewind (And yes, dear beta-mine, we'll say he's cute!)

Mallory -- Natalie

Tanya -- Tanya (Same name, different person)

Grin -- Chrism

Duke -- Saber

Nosedive -- Ø (Dead! Waah!)

Dragaunus -- Tsukiyo

On with the story!

** "One bright day" **

* * *

The sky grew dark.

Storm clouds threw themselves across the sky in a frantic, racing effort to merge at the centre of the city. Lightning began to flash erratically, levelling innocent buildings, and the ominous rumbling of thunder almost drowned out the pained scream.

Almost.

* * *

_((Five hours earlier))_

Natalie smiled as she walked through the clean hallways, humming to herself. It was such a nice day outside … for a change. The rain had finally let up, so the sun was shining, and the plants – because of the excessive precipitation – were as green and as tall as she'd ever seen them. Not only that, but mere moments ago, one of her favourite songs had come on the radio, one she hadn't heard in way too long. And, as if that weren't enough, the guy she'd been secretly eyeing had been checking her out today, too!

Her smile broadened as she reflected over the day's events. It wasn't even noon yet – plenty of time for her to hit the mall or something. She'd seen a dress there the other day that she just _knew_ would make her look as if she'd stepped off the catwalk.

She turned left to go into the Ready Room, eager to share her gal-type news with anyone who would stay in the room long enough for her to speak. The triangular door whispered open once it detected her presence, and she sauntered through.

Stopped.

Stared.

And promptly burst out laughing.

"It's not _FUNNY_!" yelled one very flushed, very irate Saurian descendant. Of course, that only made her laugh harder.

Drakewind was a ball of laughter on the floor, shuddering helplessly in a fit of humour. To his credit, he _was_ trying to get up, but then something would set him off again, causing him to collapse once more.

The kitten mock-growled, too absorbed in her hunt to notice the behaviour of the humanoids around her.

Behind Natalie, the door whisked open once more, admitting Tanya. The blonde scientist hurried through, also eager to share some exciting news she had just uncovered. She, too, stopped and stared at the chaotic scene ahead of her.

"Wh-what's going on?"

Upside down and somehow entangled in the ropes of a restraining puck, Tsukiyo dangled from the ceiling. His shoulder-length red hair barely brushed the floor as he swayed hypnotically to and fro. The constant movement, however, was fascinating the Mighty Ducks' newest addition, Cupcake, who was stalking the hair. Occasionally, the kitten would "mew" and reach out to bat at the red strands.

Tsuki scowled and tried to cross his arms in a huff, but was too restricted and ended up only ensnaring himself further.

"This is NOT funny!"

Tanya began to giggle as well, "No, no, of course not… Mmph!" She covered her mouth with her hands to stifle the bubbling hilarity within.

Natalie tried to get herself under control. "How in Puck's name did this happen?"

Drakewind could only laugh harder, yet managed to gesture weakly in the direction of his abandoned puck launcher.

Natalie blinked in confusion and went to help Tsuki out of the makeshift bonds. The fact that she was snickering all the while probably did nothing to alleviate matters, and when she looked down, Tsuki's right eye had begun to twitch.

In turn, her eyes widened, and she lunged forwards, grabbed Cupcake, and rolled hastily under a nearby table. "Hit the deck!" she screamed, well aware of the dangers of an infuriated Saurian.

Tanya and Drakewind both looked up and froze. Then they, too, dove for cover behind the couch. A second later, two sets of eyes appeared and peered cautiously from behind the makeshift defence.

Ahead of them, Tsukiyo snarled and, with a burst of black fire, burned away the rope that encircled him. Then, 2 millimetres from the floor, he stopped his inevitable fall and flipped himself over. His feet landed on the ground, and he straightened himself, brushing his bangs out of amber eyes in a last-ditch effort to regain control of the situation.

"Now that _that_ has been dealt with…" he growled at the three that were emerging from their various hidey-holes. Suddenly, he stopped and put a hand to his head. "Whoa."

Drakewind dashed forwards, catching the Saurian just as he fell backwards. He let a smirk appear as he rolled his eyes. "The amazing Tsukiyo: master of a myriad of fighting techniques and Saurian magic, yet unable to conquer the dreaded vertigo." Drakewind shook his head, still amused beyond capacity, and gently placed the dizzy boy on the nearby couch.

"Well, you know, that _is_ a conse-conse-cons…result of flipping over too fast after you've been hanging upside down."

Natalie nodded in agreement at Tanya's statement of the obvious. She peered closer at the flushed face. "He _is_ all right, though. Right?"

Drakewind stopped his perusal of Tsuki at her question and turned around, blinking. "Wha-? Oh, yeah. Nah, this guy's fine. Right as rain in matter of minutes, huh?" His good mood carried over once more and he reached over, ruffling the red hair even further.

On the couch, Tsuki groaned and feebly attempted to swat the hand away. "You are the epitome of dead, dastardly duck," he muttered.

Drakewind snickered. "And you'll be getting yours, you evil Saurian, you."

Natalie smiled and then turned excitedly to Tanya to gossip all about her morning.

* * *

_((Present))_

The scream turned raw, and a black beam shot upwards to create a funnel cloud. The sporadic lightning changed form, mutated into a more ominous, serpentine shape. Halfway through a lightning bolt, a black dragon arched through the sky. In a flash, it was gone, leaving only an imprint on the eyes of obsidian scales and blood-red eyes. Soon, more and more started appearing, then disappearing, multiplying until they seemed to overrun the place. Their twisting movements grew more and more frenzied as the pained cry grew stronger, more desperate and more agonized…

* * *

_((Five hours earlier))_

Saber leaned back against the shingles of the Pond's roof, enjoying the way the sun warmed his skin. A gentle breeze wafted across his body, ruffling his hair, and he smiled, relaxing further. His right hand idly twirled his shining sword in random patterns, automatically going through the slowed-down motions of his deadly strokes.

He stretched and sighed, relaxing further. Absently, Saber stared ahead, his mind poking through his memories. He sifted across the knowledge he'd gained about Duke's history. Saber smirked as he recalled some of the better one-liners the great thief had invented after his battles. He, too, resolved to come up with some witty lines…

Suddenly, his eyes caught a flitting motion in the corner of his sight. Frowning distractedly, he reluctantly turned his attention away from the aerial acrobatics of the seagulls above.

Using his sharpened senses that had been honed as precisely as was humanly possible, he peered over.

There it was again: a black shadow amongst darker corners.

How very, very odd. Groaning, he rose gracefully to his feet. If there was something out there – and he was sure there was – then they were going to have a _chat_ with the edge of his sword. _No one_ interrupted his downtime.

Like a cat, he leapt off the roof. Time to tell the others.

* * *

_((Present))_

The flashing dragons of dark light halted in their rampage as the scream was abruptly cut off. The funnel clouds collapsed, and the storm clouds lay there as if stunned.

In the suddenly-too-quiet silence that followed, one could have heard a pin drop. Instead, however, there was the distinctive sound of:

A step.

A body collapsing on the street.

And a strangled sob.

Then, the cackling laughter began, in an altogether new voice…

* * *

_((Five hours earlier))_

Chrism's eyes shot open with a jerk. The normally calm pool of life had developed into a raging sea of black-tipped tsunamis.

Something was horribly wrong.

* * *

**TBC...**

**More Relevant A/N**: My, that was fun. And also so very, very ambiguous – an incredibly good thing, seeing as I have not actually finalized details yet. Eheheh…

Wait! That means questions/comments/random babblings are appreciated! Yaysies! Thank you so very much for everyone's kindness, and I hope you enjoyed the story. ((nodnod))

And, by the way, I'm looking at _you_, Miss Devleigh. You. Are. Too. Sweet. This story is SO dedicated to you! Everyone! Group hug on Dev! ((Proceeds to do so.))


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** ((checks self)) Still not mine. Darn.

**"One Bright Day"**

**Chapter Two**

_ -- Much, much earlier --_

Canard sprawled in his chair, felt the skulls beneath him shift into a better position, and smiled because life was good. His eyes meandered around the walls of his inner sanctum, glazing over slightly as he remembered the history of various mementos. Finally, he stared straight above at the mural on the ceiling.

The painting was marred by age and spattered with assorted stains, but the original image was still visible. It had been a special … commission, and Canard thought it captured the very essence of the problem.

In a raging sea of amorphous electricity and clouds, a cruel Wildwing sneered in farewell, the stolen Mask already in place over his face. Behind him, still in the horned, dark ship, the other five laughed at the poor creature that flailed despairingly in the serpent's jaws. His own face, Canard felt, was really a masterpiece of the long-gone painter. Silver tears coursed down the torn feathered cheeks, the mouth twisted in a hollow soundless plea that would forever remain unheard. The eyes were wide, capturing the exact moment of the depressing epiphany that had flashed into reality.

Canard growled, felt the rumble in his chest and the vibrations in his throat, and knew that he was angry. It was all because of Wildwing. Wildwing made him mad. After all, _he_ was the one who was pushed into that nasty, _nasty _place. He wanted Wildwing to feel the betrayal and pain that he'd felt on that day when a small part of him had died. He'd thought Wildwing was his friend, but now…

Now he saw the truth, a truth which hurt him. He'd thought he could trust the six of them. Knowing that he couldn't, that they actually wanted him to die, made his gut stab with pain.

Like this…

He grabbed a nearby knife and stabbed himself where he hurt. To his relief, the internal pain diminished as the skin violently protested the intrusion.

"The blood leaks out, it does," he murmured, lost in his own reality. "Wildwing needs to _see_ the blood… _his_ blood."

He slowly rose from his bloodied chair, heedless of the stains, and sauntered around his sanctum. "We need to make them pay, after all. All of them – Wildwing, Nosedive, Mallory, Duke, Tanya and Duke." He paused and blinked. "No… that's not right. Nosedive's already paid!" He chuckled and slapped himself violently, still smiling his crooked smile. "What an idiot I am! Silly Canard!"

He rounded the corner, pondering what to do. "How should I…? They need to see, after all! They need to bleed and cry, like I did when they abandoned me."

His eyes widened and he halted in his tracks, less than a foot away from the damp stone wall.

"That's it! _I'll_ abandon them! I won't watch out for them anymore. No… then they'll have to get by on their own! And then… it won't be so easy."

A smirk spread across his beak, distorting a once-honest face. "In fact, I think they'll find it murderously hard."

Black ice magic crackled around the lone figure, standing laughing in the center of the bloody domed hallway.

* * *

Tsukiyo glared over his shoulder, trying hard to maintain his otherwise indifferent mask. "I can't believe you won't let me go outside," he hissed.

Drakewind spread his hands wide in silent apology, even as his voice hardened. "Look. Chrism and Saber have both seen weird things, ok? Saber saw an odd shadow, and Chrism was deeply disturbed in his meditation." Drakewind sighed, seeing his words had no effect on his irate teammate. "Something weird is happening, Tsuki. That's why I want everyone in the Pond to be gathered in one place. Ok?"

Tsukiyo only glared harder. "I _want_ to go outside! It's been ages! I'm sick of being cooped up!"

"It's been twenty minutes."

"Exactly!"

"Come _on_, Tsuki! Be reasonable."

A snort of disgust. "Reason? Reason is a cowardly, excuse-filled word used by weaklings when they are too afraid to face the challenge of their opponents!"

"…"

As an uncomfortable silence slammed down, Tsukiyo restrained the urge to worry at his lower lip. "Um…"

Though Drakewind maintained a neutral face, his voice was slightly chilly. "I didn't know you appreciated our battle strategies that much. I'm so _very_ sorry to have –" He snapped his lips regretfully shut as he heard a small mumble from the other's lips. "What?"

The voice came again, still too low to hear clearly. However, Tsukiyo's uncomfortable stance of fight-or-flight combined with the shifting, downcast eyes, and gave Drakewind a fairly good idea of what the poor boy was trying to say.

"…Did you just apologize?"

Tsukiyo coughed and glared upwards through erratic bangs. "Don't get too used to it, though. You got that?"

Drakewind sighed. "Got it. And sorry for snapping on you like that, too. I guess this atmosphere is getting to us both, huh?"

Tsukiyo shook his hair back as he gazed upwards, grinning dangerously. "Canard's going to be sorry about doing this to us. When we get our hands on him…"

Drakewind hastily interrupted the definite bloodthirstiness in the voice. "Tell you what, ok? How about we go open the freezer and get some ice cream? After that, we can – I dunno – go make fun of bad movies, or something. All right?"

Any lingering tension dispersed instantly as Tsukiyo's eyes lit up. "Ice cream?! Really?"

"Yup!"

"Even mint chocolate chip?"

"Weeellll…" Drakewind drew the word out, biting his lip to restrain the laughter inside at Tsukiyo's eager expression. "Ok."

"All _right_!" Tsukiyo threw his arm around Drakewind's shoulders in an informal hug. "You _are_ the best duck _ever!_"

Drakewind grinned, clapping a hand around Tsukiyo's shoulders. He didn't even bother to hide the relief that was settling into his soul like a fluffy warm light. After all, Tsukiyo was an excitable source of action, a fact which worked against him more often than not. Throw some sugar– not to mention chocolate – into the hyper killing machine, and…

Well, it was a really good thing they had a gym. Still, the Mighty Ducks knew that it couldn't be expected for Tsukiyo to be entirely responsible of his influenced actions, so the ice cream was specifically kept off-limits.

Drakewind blinked and shot himself back into the present as an adorable whine leaked out of Tsukiyo's voice.

"Ice cream now?"

He could only laugh. "Yeah!"

* * *

The black-clad ninja paused in his position on the roof. The mask concealed the face, but it didn't make much difference. The person was entirely a pawn of Lord Canard's magic, and so even his eyes didn't react to what he was about to do.

He was the distraction and messenger. That was his assigned mission.

He firmly attached Lord Canard's confidential note to the gold hilt of the Saurian dagger. Carefully cutting through the skylight's glass, he took one last look around at the nature that surrounded him: The birds chirped over in the palm trees, the gentler wind brushed around the grass, and the distant laughter of children could be heard from a busy playground.

Then, the ninja lifted the cut glass and placed it on the roof, plunged the curved dagger into his heart, then let gravity pull his convulsing form backwards into the hole.

* * *

"Aaaa!"

Tanya's surprised shriek of horror brought everyone running towards the lab, weapons at the ready.

"Tanya!" Saber burst through the door, alert to any danger. "Tanya, what's wrong?"

Tanya stared blankly at one of her lab tables. Her normally gentle blue eyes were wide with horror, and she raised a shaking hand to point at the crumpled body on the table.

"He… he…"

With a slight shimmering, Drakewind and Tsukiyo came charging through the solid wall next.

"Tanya!"

"Tanya?"

Saber looked up from where he was cradling Tanya's traumatized form. He gestured significantly to the corpse, then reassured the two with a smile and a nod in Tanya's direction.

"Tanya! You ok?" The final two members tore in a split second later. Natalie led the charge, Chrism lumbering dangerously behind her.

"What happened?" Drakewind's commanding voice cut through the initial directionless adrenalin, giving voice to the question that was in the team's mind.

Tanya looked up, still shaking but much more calm. "I - I… I was working on this experiment over here when all of a sudden, the… the…" she averted her head and closed her eyes, unable to finish. One expected death on the battlefield – but not seeing falling corpses during everyday life.

Drakewind approached Tanya, crouching down and resting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "When the…?" he prompted gently. He hated to push her like this, but they needed to find out what had happened.

"Wh-wh-when th- the…"

"When the body crashed down onto that table over there through the skylight?"  
The perky voice cut through the somber mood, and caused poor Tanya to stiffen as she relived the event.

"Y-yeah." She cast her eyes down and stared hard at the floor.

Four pairs of reproachful eyes swiveled about, settling themselves on the Tsukiyo's cheerful form. The redhead bounced around the corpse, prodding occasionally. His large amber eyes took in the ghastly details with the same amount of fascination that a kitten would play with a ball of string.

Chrism shook his head sorrowfully. "His aura is tainted with the lust for blood. It clouds his perceptions."

Natalie, however, was glaring accusatorily at Drakewind. "You gave him ice cream, didn't you?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"_Why _in the name of Ducaine would you give him ice cream now?!"

Drakewind backpedaled in the face of Natalie's understandable rage. "It was a bribe, so he wouldn't complain anymore!" He gathered himself, "And it worked, didn't it? You'll notice he's not complaining."

Saber shot him a glance that was part amusement and part exasperation. "No, he's not complaining. He's just _a vibrating mass of destructive energy!_"

Five sets of eyes turned back to where Tsukiyo was chuckling at a particularly floppy limb.

Tanya twitched. 'I think I'm going to be sick,' she thought. 'No!' She suppressed her gagging reflex. She was a member of the _Mighty Ducks_ and a descendent of the incredibly talented Tanya. She could do this, she could –

_"WHAT THE— ?!"_

Drakewind was immediately over at Tsukiyo's side. "What? What is it?"

But Tsukiyo was too busy twitching violently, and he could only point a finger furiously at the crimson blade in the man's chest. He was almost inarticulate with rage, and was starting to swear blisteringly in the Saurians' ancient tongue.

Saber came over next, followed by Natalie and Chrism, curious to see what had gotten their teammate so worked up.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Saber's answer came in the form of more curses, and a steadily darkening aura that began to swirl forebodingly around Tsukiyo's body.

Natalie blinked and looked at where the finger was pointing. She cocked her head in recollection at the familiar looking dagger, and then gasped. "Isn't that a Saurian martyr blade?"

Tsukiyo twitched.

Natalie continued, caught up in her area of expertise. "If memory serves me correctly, they were specifically used for ritualistic suicide in battle. I think I remember hearing that it was an honourable death – made doubly so by its status in the battle itself."

Chrism pondered this for a while. "The Saurians are most defensive about their honour during battles, quite probably because they disregard it in most other times during their life."

Saber's eyes widened. "If it's used for Saurians in a specific use with a practically religious significance, then what's it doing with a human?"

To their left, Tsukiyo had started to stomp his foot occasionally, still swearing profusely. Tanya finally joined the group and glanced over. "Maybe we should calm him down?" She glanced significantly over at Drakewind.

Drakewind nodded at Tanya's suggestion, then backpedaled slowly when he caught her meaning. "Me? Why me? Why should I--?"

Saber grinned. "Well, you _are_ his keeper."

"Th-that's not entirely true!" Drakewind flustered.

"Besides, you gave him ice cream. It's only fair that you should be the one to deal with the consequences," Natalie pointed out, pragmatically.

Drakewind paused, then sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Hold on a sec, won't you?" So saying, he reluctantly approached the fiery Saurian descendant. "Hey, Tsuki. Calm down, ok?"

Tsukiyo bit out a retort that remained fortunately untranslated, though most likely had something to do with one's ancestry and what they could do with it.

"No, seriously. Calm down."

To give him credit, Tsukiyo really seemed to try for a moment. His eyes clenched shut, and he took a deep breath. The various utensils that had been hovering ominously wavered, then began to droop, and the magma-coloured aura began to shade to a calmer navy.

"That's it, good!" encouraged Drakewind. He stepped forward softly, still with his outspread hands. "Just let it go. You can do that!"

"No, I can't!" howled Tsukiyo, switching to Basic English for a few precious seconds. The aura shot through with red again, and the various tools once again soared. "I can't! I can't!" Taloned hands lunged upwards and grabbed at the red hair, clutching it as if they could tear the dishonour as easily.

"Holy crap," muttered Drakewind, as he warily eyed the situation. "He's really getting excited over this." He took one more step forward, raising his voice. "Tsukiyo! Calm down NOW! I mean it!"

In response, Tsukiyo sunk to his knees and snarled. It was a distinctly primeval snarl, which had everything to do with the Saurians' distant cousins. His eyes shot open next, and there was no mistaking the enlarged, slit pupil that was setting in the amber background. Drakewind gaped for precious moments, then gathered himself. He whipped around and yelled at the five teammates who were looking on in astonishment. "Grab that body and get out of here, _now_! If I'm not out in five minutes, then I want you guys to hit the detonation button for this section. Got it?"

"B-but, Drakewind!" Tanya stammered. "Are you sure?"

Saber laid a gentle hand on her shoulder again and began guiding her out the door. "You got it, captain. Good luck."

Natalie snapped to attention, biting her lip hard to keep anything from slipping out that she might regret later. "Yes, sir!" So saying, she turned and helped Chrism pick up the dead ninja.

Chrism, for his part, was also being very careful in his words and deeds. Like the others, he too remembered The Incident several years back. Hopefully – _hopefully_ – they would not have to implement the safety procedure that had been established since then. "Good luck, my friend."

Once through the door, the four teammates paused for strength. Glancing at each other, they nodded once, then dashed through the hallways to Drake One's command center. Behind them, the door began to glow an ominous yellow from the heat within.

* * *

**A/N:** …Aaaand now I'm all unmotivated. Bleahs. ((shrugs)) I don't know if I really like how it turned out – for some reason my writing abilities have apparently disappeared, or something. ((gasps)) Maybe they were eaten by … um… plotholes, or something!

At any rate: What will happen? How does the Prologue tie into this? Will the others notice the note attached to the blade? What does it say? What will they do?

… Scooby dooby doo, where are you?

Ahem. Sorry. Ta for now, everyone!

Oh, and by the way – reviews are my lifeblood in place of caffeine. I'm too broke to buy caffeine at the moment, so please keep me alive somehow? Pwease?


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Fanfiction . net formatting _sucks._ As such, during the interactions over the radios, please insert ending punctuation (question marks, periods, etc.) because it won't let me. ((screams)) ... And enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The following fourteen (O.o) pages of prose revolve around a show in which the original concept isn't mine, the original characters aren't mine, and… the original setting isn't mine either. ((thinks)) I think that's it. I guess I have to claim ownership for Drakewind, Tanya, Chrism, Saber, Natalie, and Tsukiyo, though, which kinda sucks because that makes me flash back to horrible memories of stumbling across Mary-Sue fics with the _exact same kind of disclaimer _on them. ((shudders))

**Dedication**: There should be no surprise when I dedicate this (again) to my beta-reader for this fandom. The one and only… Person Whose Name I Won't Mention! Muahahahaa! Seriously, though, your comments make me freak and flail wildly in joy. And thus I wrote this story mostly for you! Please be happy!

**One Bright Day – Chapter Three

* * *

**

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Natalie muttered. Ahead of her, the door to the Ready Room burst open as the sensor detected their speed.

"Believe it, sweetheart," Saber shot back as he ran the last few steps into the room.

In the blink of an eye, Tanya tore past the both of them in her haste to activate the audio/visual input from the lab. "Drake, voice identification: Tanya. Engage camera 51."

"Access granted," the computer intoned, then presented a screen filled with static. "Audio and visual offline," it then commented.

The members in the room blanched – even Chrism who had silently joined them. A mute reminder of the calamity which had befallen them, the sacrificed body lay on the back table.

Tanya, however, recovered quickly and cracked her knuckles. "Drake, engage manual override," she ground out through clenched teeth, a split second before her fingers began to fly over the assorted keypads.

Almost hesitant, Saber shot a glance at the now-pacing Natalie. "How many minutes?"

"Four."

"Oh." That seemed to be all that he could say. Without his knowledge, his foot started to tap demandingly against the paneled floor.

Chrism settled into position, and there was an expectant pause as he attempted to begin a visionary meditation. Almost immediately, though, his eyes shot back open, and he gasped. Saber and Natalie turned to run over to him, but he held up his hand. "No, I am fine. There was just…" he trailed off, searching for the right words to express the tumult of swirling chaos that he'd encountered, "too much interference."

Natalie frowned. "Blast. Tanya?"

"Still trying. Keep it down!"

Aware that it was intense concentration that made her so abrupt, the other three subsided. Natalie chewed her lip, Chrism's hands drummed against his arm, and Saber – at a total loss – examined his fingernails for dirt.

Finally, the tension was too much. Natalie leaned over to Saber. "Did you hear about the last time this happened?" she whispered in the lowest tone she could manage.

Saber nodded fractionally. "Drakewind wouldn't go into any details, though. Must have been pretty nasty," he murmured back.

"Seriously bad karma," Chrism rumbled under his breath.

His two avid listeners pulled a face. Finally, Natalie shrugged. "Well, what else can you expect with a Saurian around?" she commented lowly. "When it rains…"

"It pours … blood." Ominously, Saber amended the saying.

Another pause – this one more sombre than the first. Tanya walked over, defeated. "Well, I couldn't get any input. And I've set up the detonation," she sighed with a hitch in her voice.

Natalie looked at her watch. "Three minutes and counting."

* * *

Drakewind activated the defence shield the minute the door slammed shut behind the others. Barely a moment later, volcanic temperatured winds raced around the room. Tsukiyo howled his frustration – oblivious to the shouted pleas of the only other one in the room who'd stayed to brave the mindless wrath. Beakers, papers, chairs – anything that wasn't bolted down – began to rise into the air and fly about chaotically, as if in tune with the spell caster's feelings. The cacophony of smashing glass and splintering metal hid the small explosion of the surveillance camera as it gave under the heat and pressure. 

Drakewind gritted his teeth and ignored the red warning light on his armour. Dodging and weaving the flying debris, he made his way forwards to the screaming figure clutching its head.

"Tsukiyo!"

But what existed now wasn't his teammate. Even as Drakewind got within lunging distance, the scream became a howl of satisfaction. With the arid wind still slashing currents around the room, Drakewind felt himself freeze as the Saurian _looked_ at him.

The mouth opened to reveal fangs, bared in a horrible parody of the normal smile.

Drakewind winced, then recovered. He wouldn't be afraid. He wouldn't let this situation happen again. No more would he hesitate – at the cost of others' lives. In fact, he would rather die.

"Calm down!" he demanded, though without much hope. The being standing in front of him was beyond words now. The only thing that it heard was the helpless screams and cries of its victims.

The talons flexed – a move with which Drakewind was more than familiar. On Tsukiyo, the move brought a sense of anticipation and comfort, in the knowledge that their teammate was ready and willing to fight for what was right. But now…

Drakewind firmed his resolve. It had come down to this, and he would not fail. Much as he hated pulling rank, he would do what was necessary. Like Wildwing – Wildwing had done what had to be done, even though the tears had coursed down his cheeks.

The beast took a step forwards. The reddish winds tossed the shoulder-length hair about in sick imitation of the flames of hell brought to earth. The eyes slit with infernal purpose, the mouth opened in a savage gape; even the posture had changed, becoming more sinuous and dangerous.

It was the very embodiment of Saurian greed and bloodlust.

A sound escaped its throat – a sibilant hiss – as it began the saunter before the kill. Not even the faintest recognition flashed in the amber eyes.

Drakewind _hated_ pulling rank. It went against his solemn belief that everyone – even Saurians and Puckworlders – could get along without the presence of authority. He took a shaky breath, even as his armour screamed out a warning about failing systems in the unbearable environment around it.

"Under the authority of Wildwing, I command you to return to me! Tsukiyo, Drakewind _orders_ it! OBEY!" The shout pierced the air, cutting it in two as it shot across the lessening space to his opponent's ears, whose eyes widened as it saw…

A sight unseeable to any save the Saurian, a chorus of spiritual ducks rose behind Drakewind, piling in numbers to universal proportions. First, there was Wildwing, then the rest of the team, then the entirety of Puckworlders in the complete history of time and creation, and finally, looming over them all and bearing down with massive presence, glared the figure of Drake Ducaine. His red eyes shone forebodingly out through the expressionless features of the Mask.

The Saurian body, heedless of the spirit's desires, jerked to a halt and shut down. A startled shriek escaped as the figure's spirit fled back from whence it came. The wind vanished, leaving the swirling debris to crash, unheeded, to the ground.

Drakewind, though, ignored it all; his entire attention was breathlessly fixed on the gradually collapsing boy ahead of him. Hope bloomed in Drakewind's chest as he scanned him with the Mask's help, his body tensed: It had worked! Tsukiyo was back!

"Tsuki!"

All too late, his brain registered the shattered glass littering the floor. Drakewind's eyes widened and, without a thought, he dove forwards, catching his team-mate in his arms and twisting so that it was the back of his armour that took the scarring. Then, and only then, with the crisis averted and things set right, did Drakewind relax. Nerves, previously strung tighter than a high coil spring, loosened in a flood of relief. He looked down, still unable to believe that this situation – which had ended in so much bloodshed before – was over so peacefully. The sleeping teen cuddled against him was safe once more.

The timer on his watch-com beeped insistently. "Thirty seconds," it reminded him.

Drakewind started, "Crap!" His hand shot the com open. "Drakewind here. Cancel the countdown!"

"Drakewind! You're really ok? " Tanya's voice erupted back over the air waves, her tone mixing relief and exuberance.

He smiled. Stars, but he loved this team of his. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"And … Tsuki?"

His smile widened. "You can come check him out for yourself," he answered, letting a snicker escape him.

"On our way, sir!" Natalie's voice interjected, the relief palpable in her own voice. In the background, Drakewind could hear a tinny version of Saber's voice cheering, and he had no doubt that Chrism was doing that quiet, proud smile that he wore sometimes.

"Over and out." With finality, Drakewind snapped the com shut, then looked around. "Ooh," he winced. "This place is a _mess._" It was true. Stools lay in splintered fragments, tables were overturned and warped into spirals, papers drifted about in fluttering scraps, and shattered glass covered the floor. The light from the single unbroken bulb above refracted off some pieces, creating momentary rainbows around the room. "I think Tanya's going to kill me."

Further perusal was dismissed, though, because at that moment, the warm body in his arms stirred. Startled, Drakewind looked down. He was waking up so soon? Talk about a short recovery time.

"Mmf?"

Drakewind suppressed a grin. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

"Mmrr."

"How very eloquent."

A finger prodded him half-heartedly in the general vicinity of the ribs. Unable to prevent the all-around good feelings swelling inside him, Drakewind let the grin escape. "You going to get up, or should I grab your teddy bear and blankie-poo?"

"Wha--?" Blinking rapidly, the yellow eyes opened with great effort, before clenching shut. "Mrrr! Bright."

"If you say so. I personally didn't think so, due to the fact there's only one light bulb you didn't _destroy_!" Good humour diminishing as he began to realize the close shave they'd had, Drakewind's smile turned into a serious frown. "Come on. Up. I mean it."

"…Slave driver." With a few grunts, Tsukiyo manoeuvred his way back to the vertical. He put a hand against his head, wincing. "Ouchies. What happened?"

Drakewind joined him, reluctantly offering a steadying arm. "You went berserk. I stopped you."

Guileless eyes widened. "Ooh. Did I kill anyone?"

"No, thank the stars."

"Aww." Unbelievably, Tsukiyo started pouting. "I don't get to add to my kill score."

Drakewind stared with incredulity and increasing rage as Tsukiyo began to tentatively stretch with studied nonchalance. "You…" he managed, before his voice froze up.

"Hmm? Whazzup?" Tsukiyo continued stretching, but shot him a vaguely curious glance.

Drakewind shook his head. "Un-bloody-believable," he muttered.

In return, he got a faintly quizzical grin.

Drakewind crossed his arms. "I don't even know where to begin. Although, with an attitude like that, I'm definitely going to insist on something that you owe me."

"I? Owe you?"

"Yes."

There was a momentary pause. "Like what?"

Drakewind suppressed a sigh, then realized he suppressed many things when dealing with Tsukiyo. Ah, well. "I'll give you a hint. It's something you almost never say."

"Ooh! A game!" Tsukiyo clapped enthusiastically. "Let's see. Something I almost never say? Hmm. Is it 'purple bunnies are attacking'?"

Drakewind gave him a flat stare. "_No._ Think in terms of manners. In fact," he continued, placing a hand against his chest, "you can look to me as an example."

Tsukiyo pondered this. "'We'll reimburse you for property damage'?"

"No."

"P… puh-lease?" This word sounded foreign, as if the mouth were unused to forming it.

"Try again."

The normally smooth forehead creased into deep ridges of concentration. "…thank you…?" This came out even more tentatively.

"You're welcome; now try again." Drakewind was being almost flippant with his answers, in the knowledge that Tsukiyo didn't actually mean any of the things he was saying.

There was another pause. "Is it something you say a lot?" Tsukiyo asked. At Drakewind's shrug and nod, he thought some more. "'Oh, Nosedive, why you?'"

Another flat stare.

"I'm guessing no."

"It's the only right guess you've had so far!" Drakewind shot back.

"Well, _I_ don't know what you want! This isn't fun anymore."

Drakewind sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Fine. I'm…" he hinted.

Leaning forward, Tsukiyo perked up. "You're…?"

"No, you."

"Oh. Oh! I'm…" The eyes blinked expectantly.

"Sor…"

"'I'm sore'? Well, a little bit, but I didn't think it was polite to mention it."

"No! Sorr…y."

"'I'm … sor…ry'? Ooh! I'm sorry!" Tsukiyo bounced briefly and grinned at Drakewind like a child with a twenty pound bag of candy.

Amused, Drakewind grinned back. "Good! And now for the three million dollar question." He leaned back. "What are you sorry _for_?"

There was another pause, though glass remains crunched into smaller pieces as Tsukiyo shifted hesitantly. "Uh…"

"Take a look around, if you think it would help." Sometimes Drakewind wondered if _all_ Saurians were this hesitant to admit to screwing up. This was reaching almost astronomical proportions.

"Um…"

Just then, the door to the lab slid open as the rest of the team joined them. Their initial burst of speed screeched to an abrupt stop as the four took in the sheer chaos of the room around them.

"Oh, stars…" Saber muttered with wide eyes. Chrism pursed his lips, and Natalie winced. Almost as one, they turned and looked fearfully at Tanya, whose mouth was opening and closing in shock.

"My _lab_!" she finally burst out. "What did you guys do to my lab!"

Tsukiyo spared her a faintly scornful glance. "Blew things up in it?"

"Be nice." Drakewind nudged him in mild reprimand.

Tsukiyo looked at him in brief disdain, then with enlightenment. "Oh! I get it!" He grinned and quickly moved over to Tanya, sweeping her hands up in his and gazing at her earnestly. "Tanya, I am sorry!" Tsukiyo enunciated each word carefully, then looked at Drakewind with a proud glance. "Right?"

Drakewind opened his mouth to correct him – he'd meant the apology to cover the fact that Tsukiyo had tried to ­_kill _him – then sighed. Anything was better than nothing. And, knowing Tsukiyo, he would have seen the earlier almost-fight as a test between warriors and therefore nothing to apologize for. So, instead, Drakewind smiled wanly and decided to let this one go. "Bingo."

"Yay!"

The others gaped. "Did he just apologize?"

"I think my ears have fallen into shock."

Chrism moved over and clapped a hand on Drakewind's back, making him stumble slightly. "You have made much progress, my friend."

Drakewind looked down, flattered. "Well, it's certainly not easy. But one step at a time, right?"

In the background, Tsukiyo looked probingly at Tanya, then decided it might be better to patrol outside. Just for a bit.

* * *

Back in the Ready Room, Natalie glanced around. "Where's Tsuki?" 

The others perked up at her question, then looked equally clueless.

"Uh…"

Drakewind's shoulders stiffened briefly, before he seemed to drain of all energy. "Never a dull moment, I guess," he muttered, as he snapped open his comm. "Tsuki, come in?" he called over the line.

A mere moment passed before the crackle came back. +Yo. 'Sup+

"You're outside?"

Uh-huh. What's your point+

"Patrolling?"

…Sure. Is Tanya still close to grasping pointy objects+

Tanya flushed a flattering crimson. "I wouldn't… I mean, I'd never…"

Saber chuckled. "Give it up, sweetheart." He opened his own comm. "You might want to stay outside until we've got a plan, kid."

All right, all right. Tsukiyo out.+

Chrism cleared his throat. "The note?" he reminded them all in his calm, unassuming manner.

"Right." Drakewind took a reinforcing breath. "Let's just examine the note for now." Another glance at Tanya, who currently looked faintly nauseous. "We can probably examine it away from its… uh… carrier."

The team let out a relieved sigh and made their way over to the other side of the room. A grim reminder of the calamity that had befallen them, the body lay in the cooling portion of the containment unit, its limbs pathetically limp.

Ignoring the tragic for the ominous, Drakewind used a pair of tweezers to open the note with the utmost caution. After all, they had certainly encountered their share of toxic notes, exploding notes, corrosive notes… unfortunately, the list continued at great length.

When nothing happened, he skimmed the note quickly, frowning in confusion. It read simply:

Seven little duckies sitting in a pond,  
One's pushed out and told 'So long.'  
Another repents and is replaced.  
When will the guilty be disgraced?

The tide is high and the moon is low,  
At midnight there your blood will flow.  
The judge and jury have been chosen,  
And the unworthy will be … frozen.

Almost immediately, the paper was crumpled into a ball as Drakewind clenched his hands. "Canard!" he growled.

Natalie bit her lip. "Ignoring the weirdness, he really can't write poetry, can he? I mean, what's with that last line?"

"What's with the _poem_?" Saber wondered, more pointedly. "I mean, it's about us, or who he thinks we are, sure, but does he want to meet us? Kill us? Freeze us? Who's this jury he's talkin' about?"

Tanya sniffled – her allergies kicking in most inconveniently. "Well, uh… based on previous documentation … uh… documented by the other teams, this is kinda like the final showdown, I guess. I mean, the first two lines are obviously about the original team and Canard sacrificing himself—"

"Obviously," Natalie rolled her eyes.

"But, for the rest…" Tanya shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, guys."

Drakewind uncrumpled the poem and handed it to Chrism. "You're good at confusing and obscure wordings. Any clue?"

Chrism pondered the sickening poem briefly, then handed it back. "The docks, eastern side. Do not ask," he stated obliquely.

"Ah, all right." Even Drakewind looked taken aback by Chrism's swift insight. "No questioning, but definitely action-taking! Get ready, people. We're heading to the docks."

"No problem, oh fearless one," Saber drawled. "I'm as much for stopping Canard as Duke was, but do the words 'walking into a trap' mean anything to you?"

"Trap or not," Drakewind sighed, "he's killing innocent people. We _have_ to stop him."

Chrism spoke up again, being unusually talkative. "As the floods break the dam, so will Canard's trap be washed away."

"That's the spirit!" Drakewind felt the rest of his team bolster their courage as he opened his comm. Once more. "Tsukiyo, report back and suit up. We're going to say hello to a duck."

Great! Finally, some action+ Tsukiyo's voice bounced back, containing none of the bored disgruntlement from earlier. +ETA is thirty seconds; just lemme grab my sword+

* * *

Twenty minutes later, a silent owl was witness to an equally silent procession. The full moon hung pendulous in the sky, as if it were only the expectations of humanity that kept it from falling into the darkness. The wisps of cloud that occasionally drifted by were no match for its fierce Halloween glow which tinted the docks with an otherworldly sheen.

The owl tilted its head, snapping up the remainder of its recent meal, and examined the newcomers. There were six of them in total, aligned single file. Their process was cautious but certain, indicating they had been to this section of the docks before. They were on the alert, obviously aware that the gentle hush of the waves masked many warning sounds. The owl blinked at them in approval, then rose in stately flight, more interested with the rodents in the southern area.

Drakewind briefly looked up, alerted by the movement of the owl, before returning his attention to the maze of buildings that rose around them. It _would_ have been nice to be able to fly over these obstacles, but the plane would have made too much noise. Canard, though insane, was anything but stupid, unfortunately. He knew they'd be coming here, but they still kept the element of surprise: showing up early and approaching from a different direction that they normally came. If they could take Canard down before his trap was sprung, then they would win. Drakewind sensed that anticipatory expectation in the rest of his team. Eight years of chasing after the same fiend, almost non-stop, had made them reach the limit of their tolerance. 'Tonight is the night!' the air thrummed between them. 'This was what you were created to do! Take him _out!_ It's either him or you.'

It wasn't just battle hype, either. The other teams before them had lasted approximately this long, but where they'd failed and perished, Drakewind vowed, his team would triumph and win. He halted momentarily to take a good look at the others. They stared back at him with equal warmth.

Tanya, Saber, Natalie, Chrism, and Tsukiyo: they may have been odd by modern 'normal' standards, but that was what he loved about them. They were _above_ average: better, friendlier, fiercer. He didn't want to lose any of them. An upswelling of emotion made his vision blurry, and he held out a hand. "Let's do this," he whispered softly, determination threading steel into his voice.

The four other ducks stepped forwards, placing their hands atop his in a familiar gesture of soliditarity.

"We believe in you," Tanya smiled shyly at him.

Saber gave his hand a squeeze, "And we trust ourselves because of you."

"We're with you all the way, you know," Natalie gave him a thumbs up, while Chrism bowed formally, letting actions speak louder than words.

Saber turned. "How about you, kid? You thinking of sticking around for the long haul?"

"I suppose I must." Arms crossed and head held disdainfully high, Tsukiyo gave an aggrieved sigh. "But only because you'd all be hopelessly lost without me."

Natalie nudged him. "Way to keep a modest image," she teased.

He smirked back. "And why should I hide such a glaringly obvious truth?"

Drakewind's grin widened briefly, then his face firmed into an expression of resolution. "Ok, team, this is it. I'm counting on all of you to use your judgement."

"Right!" The five straightened minutely.

"We'll divide and conquer here. Tanya, you're with Chrism. If there's anything tech-y, you run interference while he covers you. Maintain open radio channels so we can talk if anything comes up."

"Ok!"

"Natalie," Drakewind turned to address the next two, "you're with Saber. I _need_ you two setting up an ambush that will work to trap Canard, if only for a minute. I don't care what you come up with or what it does, as long as it works. Ditto on the radio channels, by the way."

"Affirmative." Natalie and Saber both saluted, though Saber's was infinitely more casual than Natalie's crisp military send-off. The four, having been given their orders, slipped off into the shadows.

"Good." Last but not least on his list, Drakewind turned to Tsukiyo, who was standing at ease with an odd expression on his face. Drakewind ignored it. "Tsuki, you're with me. I want you to scout ahead, see if you can't spot Canard coming. It's only 10:30, and the note said midnight, so we should be able to complete some sort of pre-emptive attack."

Tsukiyo nodded reluctantly. "I rejoin with you after that?"

"_Right_ after," Drakewind stressed, noting Tsukiyo's relieved grin. "Canard hasn't hesitated to start giving you orders if he gets you away from us, and I've no doubt he'll jump at the chance to do it again tonight. I want you near me at all times, got that? At least if we're together, I can tell you to ignore Canard's orders, or something. We're trying to avoid a forced betrayal, after all."

Tsukiyo smiled at him – a real smile, for a change. "Thanks," he murmured, then ducked his head in embarrassment.

"That is _disgustingly_ cute."

At the new voice, Drakewind and Tsukiyo's heads whipped around in unison. That unmistakeable accent could belong only to one.

"Canard!" Drakewind shouted, his eyes scanning the shadows around them as the echo bounced between the buildings.

There was a pause, then a sudden rumbling jarred the ground beneath.

"'Wind! Look out!"

Drakewind glanced down in trepidation, then was thrown to the side as a heavy, red-haired weight slammed into him, pushing him aside. Even as the two hit the ground, an explosion ripped apart the place Drakewind had just been.

Drakewind fought to catch his breath, wishing he had enough air to gasp out a thanks to Tsukiyo. Above, the teen in question fought to untangle their limbs, only to scramble to his feet. In an attacking position, he teleported to the other side of the square, growling, eyes darting. Drakewind gasped in some more air, then got to his feet as well, grasping his puck launcher.

"Show yourself, Canard," Drakewind challenged. "We know how you play these games of yours!"

"And _I_ know how you play," Canard shot back, gliding out of the shadows in between the two team members. "You think you're doing anything new, Wildwing? I've been around for every single strategy you've done." He grinned a mocking smile. "Silly buddy. You tried to do this fifty years ago."

Stunned, Drakewind took a step backwards. That was right; Canard had faced off against all the previous Mighty Duck descendants. But to discover that he remembered all those attacks _and_ knew how to defeat them? Drakewind felt like falling to his knees, so devoid of hope that had become. "No…" he whispered.

"Yes," Canard licked his beak. "I don't think you realize how lucky you've been, Wildwing." Ignoring Tsukiyo's derisive laughter, Canard moved forwards, his limbs akimbo and bent at impossible angles. "You know, all this time, I've been looking out for you. You've been unknowingly protected by me. I've been like an invisible guardian angel." He struck a noble pose.

Drakewind felt sick, and a glance at Tsukiyo's revolted expression let him know the feeling was echoed in his team-mate. Knowing it was futile to argue, Drakewind spoke up anyway. "What are you talking about? You're the reason we have to fight; _you're _behind all the murders, tortures…"

"You've made me jealous," Tsukiyo spoke up casually, the glint in his eyes being the only betrayal to his hatred and impatience. "So you _know_ you've been bad."

"Shut up, lizard-breath," Canard sneered.

Tsukiyo made a rude noise. "Make me, you meddlesome mallard."

"Hey, nice consonance!" Drakewind drawled.

Tsukiyo grinned and shot him a thumbs up. "Thankee kindly."

"Enough!" Canard roared. "I _was_ going to give you the opportunity of an easy repentance, but no more! Now, you'll have to suffer just as much as I did." He began trembling as he started to scratch his stomach. "All those years where I've endured your cruel treatment… but no longer! As of tonight, you will pay for your abusive ways!"

"What?" Drakewind was confused.

Tsukiyo rolled his eyes. "Great. Selective amnesia." He raised his voice and slowed it down, as if speaking to a stupid animal. "Do…you…re-mem-ber … what … you… did … last…week?"

Canard twisted his head around to stare maniacally at the Saurian. "I was brutally attacked. I had no choice but to defend myself. Now, I order you into silence, slave!"

Subsiding, Tsukiyo bit his lip, glaring hatefully as Canard turned back to face Drakewind. "You will suffer tonight, buddy," Canard whispered insistently.

"Uh-huh," Drakewind answered absently. He was personally finding it hard to suppress a snigger: behind Canard's back, Tsukiyo was becoming increasingly creative in the rude gestures he'd begun in silent retaliation.

"And still you mock me!" Canard wailed. "Even when I'm warning you of danger, you refuse to cease your taunting!" His beak drew back to reveal a full set of chipped, pointed teeth, darkened by old blood. "You're on your own from now on, Wildwing. You and every one else. I can't believe I _trusted_ you."

Drakewind tensed, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. The time for banter was over, it seemed. "Canard!" he yelled, bringing his puck launcher to bear.

"No more help!" Canard carolled as he suddenly vanished into the ground – a split second before the explosive puck tore through the space he'd occupied.

"Blast!" Drakewind freed the curse from his throat, overcome by frustration. Why hadn't he fired sooner?

"Yeah, I really hate him," Tsukiyo sauntered back over to his side. His voice was casual, but his hands were flexing compulsively.

Drakewind shook his head. "Change of plans," he muttered. "We should regroup." He opened his comm. – only to discover a steady hiss of static.

Tsukiyo leaned over his shoulder to peer at Drakewind's comm. "Huh. That can't be good."

Drakewind let out a breath. "Nope."

* * *

Copying her leader's example, Tanya kept to the shadows as she crept forwards. Tanya's resurrected omni-tool lay on her left wrist. Though it fit snugly, there were still tiny areas that would have been filled with feathers, and in their absence, small rivulets of sweat pooled stickily. Tanya shook her arm to dislodge them absentmindedly, too accustomed to the feeling to pay it any real attention. Instead, she kept her eyes and ears peeled for anything mechanical.

"Do you see anything?" Tanya waved her right hand behind her to attract Chrism's attention, then asked the question _sotto voce._

Chrism frowned. "No," he slowly answered, as though distracted by something.

His reticence brought Tanya's full interest to bear and she turned, still trying to keep to the wall. "What? What is it?"

Chrism deepened his frown, as if that would allow him to understand. "Something is not right," he murmured. Usually, once they arrived, the ocean of life-energies would calm. At the moment, however, the ocean's distress had only increased, to the point where it seemed to Chrism as if they were at the heart of a maelstrom. The invisible, spiritual winds buffeted him on all sides, making him wish to meditate in order to purge these distractions for the critical task at hand. He did not desire to disappoint the others – his team, his _family_.

"Still?" Tanya stuttered. "Doesn't everything normally, you know, settle down by now?"

Chrism pursed his lips, then laid gentle hands on Tanya's slight shoulders. "Be careful," he warned.

She stared up at him, looking for once her real age of twenty years, all her youth suddenly obvious. She had her whole life ahead of here – they _all_ did. Chrism didn't want these bright flames to be blown out.

"We should, ah, call the others," Tanya suggested after a while, clearing her throat. But even as she opened her comm., she could tell it was useless – the crackle of static seemed loud in the otherwise hushed night. Suddenly, it was as if the universe was holding its breath for the outcome. It had seen this situation before, always ending with failure and pitiable bloodshed. Would this time be any different?

And at a temporary loss, the two descendents stared at each other hopelessly.

* * *

Cautiously, Natalie leaned back and ran a critical eye over their handiwork. The trap was complete: simple, yet effective. Pitfalls, marked with tiny red string 'X's, provided intersections between canopies of lobster mesh. Originally, she'd been apprehensive about using material that didn't belong to them and was, in fact, some fisherman's lengthy endeavour. However, as Saber had so correctly pointed out, "We can always pay them back. And besides, what else is strong enough to hammockify a crazy duck?"

Natalie had grinned. "Point. But… 'hammockify'?"

"Well, yeah…? I've never seen anything else get as tangled as a hammock," Saber had returned the grin sheepishly.

So they'd set up the traps. And now, Natalie surveyed them with satisfaction, then shook her head as she felt her body start to shut down for the night.

"Natalie? You ok?" Saber's voice, suddenly very close, whispered worriedly in her ear.

"Huh? Oh… yeah. I'm fine." Her face heated in a combination of self-directed shame and irritation. "Just a little tired."

Saber relaxed. "Is that all? Do you want some chocolate-covered coffee beans?" he dug in one of many pockets and pulled out a handful of the delicious wake-up candies.

Natalie hesitated. "You know I try and avoid stimulants –" she was interrupted as her body yawned of its own accord. She felt herself flushing more deeply. "On the other hand, maybe one couldn't hurt. Just for tonight."

"Sure," Saber accepted her answer easily. "Here you go." He winked as she took the smallest one from his palm. "Just do me a favour?"

"What's that?" she asked, curious.

"_Don't_ tell Tsuki I have these. Ok?"

Natalie suppressed a snort of hysterical laughter. "Stars, I didn't even think of that! Can you _imagine_ what would happen if he got into them?"

Saber chuckled and shivered in mock-horror. "And they're chocolate-coated, too! I wouldn't want to be Drakewind for the world!"

Natalie gave up and laughed quietly until tears pricked her eyes. She waved a hand helplessly. "Here, lizard, lizard, lizard…" she managed to gasp out amidst bouts of laughter.

Saber joined in, imitating his fearless leader. "No, we don't summon dinosaurs to destroy the rush hour crowd. We wait our turn like everyone else!"

"Rar!"

They laughed a bit longer, until clouds darkened the sky above. The dimming of the already low light brought them back to their grim reality. In unison, they sobered up, then Natalie opened her comm., ready to report in.

Instead of the familiar, ready-blue screen, though, a snowy popcorn image filled their eyes and ears.

With trepidation, Natalie flicked the side of the comm. To her incredible un-surprise, that failed to change anything. She sighed. "I _hate_ machines."

Saber opened his mouth to start a new plan of action when he caught the whisper of footfalls over the asphalt. His hand shot up to his mouth in a gesture for silence as he tried to identify who it was by the tread and distance. Natalie caught hold of his sleeve and gestured urgently to a pile of concealing boxes.

Without a word, Saber followed Natalie's lead and dove silently behind them. Once concealed, they waited ten seconds to calm their breathing, then peeked out with the utmost caution on either side.

Saber sucked in a surprised breath as the figure meandered so indolently down the pavement. '_Duke?'_ his mind realized, then stuttered to a halt.

"No way," Natalie whispered, horrified. "How is that possible? How can he be _here?_"

The Duke in front of them slid a casual path through the traps, effortless and eased. With increasing dread, the two watched as he approached their hiding spot. Natalie gripped her gun tighter to compensate for her sweat-slackened grip.

"Saber," she whispered. "He's not setting off any of the traps."

"No surprise there," Saber whispered back. "I did base most of the layout on _his_ designs."

Ahead, Duke paused and drew his light-sword. He tilted his head, and the brand that Canard had marked him with gleamed wetly in the silver moonlight.

Saber activated his own sword, an updated version of Duke's original design. The soft glow shone out clearly in the darkness around them. "I'll have to stall him. Tell Drakewind we've got a definite situation here."

She frowned. "Negative. I'm not going to leave you alone with him. Besides, if this is all orchestrated by Canard, then they'll be having their own traps to deal with."

Duke began to move forwards at a ground-eating lope that was deceptively slow. His beak opened, though only an eerie hiss emerged. Saber took a deep breath. "This is it," he muttered. "Natalie…"

She brought her gun to bear. "I'll tranq him," she proclaimed, then was torn from the ground as two golden cables snatched her upwards.

"Natalie!" Saber screamed.

Duke leapt.

And Natalie fought to free herself from the grip of a resurrected B.R.A.W.N. unit.

* * *

Disgusted, Drakewind gave up on the static-filled communicator and slammed it shut. "This is hopeless. We'll have to manually regroup. Tsuki? Let's go."

He started forwards, gun at the ready, eyes scanning the ground ahead of them. At his back was the silent presence of the Saurian. Without looking, Drakewind knew that the talons would be primed, the muscles tensed, the yellow eyes darting ferally. There would be that odd little smile on Tsukiyo's face, too, but Drakewind had to ignore that part. There were too many unpleasant realisations if he began to think about what that smile meant.

A sudden scream tore the night air to their left. Drakewind and Tsukiyo swivelled, arms ready, and witnessed a golden monster rise above the wharfs with a figure in its coils. Drakewind focused, his mind shooting out and enlargening the image through the Mask's power, and gasped. "Natalie?"

Tsukiyo grabbed his shirt. "Is that a _B.R.A.W.N.?_" he wondered in a terrified voice. "I thought you said they didn't exist anymore!"

Drakewind tore away into a sprint. "They're not supposed to!"

Tsukiyo caught up a half-moment later. "Canard's _cheating_! I'll rip out his eyeballs for that!"

"Hurry!" Drakewind shot back. His first priority was the team's safety. If that broke down, then they might as well be mercenaries. "Hey!" he was hit with an idea. "Can you summon one of those dragons to get her down?"

Tsukiyo stumbled in shock, then caught up again as they rounded a corner. "You _want_ me to summon a limbo-monster?" His eyes were wide with yellow surprise. "I thought you forbade me from doing that!"

"The situation's changed," Drakewind ground out. "We need to get Natalie back and we don't have time to waste on that. We need to get to the rest of the team, then get Canard. Do it!"

Tsukiyo shook his head in wonder. "You're the captain," he acquiesced, then stopped. "I'll take care of the B.R.A.W.N. then. Somehow. Do you want to get Tanya and Chrism?"

Drakewind ruffled his hair. "We think too similarly," he smiled. "I was just about to tell you that. Now," he got serious, "open the link between us. I want to be able to summon you. Got it?"

Closing his eyes and concentrating, Tsukiyo opened the mental channel between them. The overflow of emotions, heightened further by the situation, swirled into the other's mind before it obtained the regular consistency.

Drakewind shook his head and blinked, "I keep forgetting that part. Holy crap, that's dizzy."

Tsukiyo stumbled a bit, equally dazed. Being more used to it, though, he recovered and gave his leader an odd look. "You really think like that? Eww." He shuddered. "Your thoughts are all icy. It's _gross_."

He got a flat stare. "I'm going to take the high road to that comment and refrain from commenting on what methods you've got planned for Canard in your thoughts. That's 'eww' _squared_."

"Only 'cause you're a wimp!" Tsuki shot back.

"More like I'm not a bloodthirsty, crazed freak!" Equally incensed, Drakewind yelled in his face.

Tsukiyo stuck out his tongue. "Black kettle-pot!"

"That doesn't even make sense!" Drakewind was twitching by this point, so caught up in the flare of frustration that he forgot all about the outside world. His eyes clouded over in a vision of red, to the point where it was unclear whether it was a haze of anger or the Mask coming to his aid in preparation to the upcoming fight.

"Doesn't have to! You suck!"

"No, _you_!"

"You!"

"You!"

"_YOU!_"

"Don't make me order you!" Drakewind threw the ultimate threat out, hardly aware that he was pulling rank.

Tsukiyo hid the flinch too well, snarling promisingly instead. "I'd kill you twice over before you had time to speak!"

Drakewind drew in an enraged breath, then blinked, shaken. "Would you seriously?"

"Ah—" Tsukiyo, caught equally off-guard, suddenly realized what was going on. "Well, no. Not really."

Again, Drakewind shook his head briskly. "Ok. Back to normal. Get that dragon going and keep listening to me. If Canard shows up—"

"Yeah, yeah. Zap over to you immediately. No worries." Tsukiyo grinned disarmingly, the boyish expression an interesting contrast with his nature.

Drakewind nodded tersely, then turned and bolted.

He watched him leave, then Tsukiyo took a deep breath, called Wraith's staff from the Abyss of Darkness, and concentrated.

As Murphy's Law would have it, the minute his attention was diverted, a pair of malevolently watchful eyes appeared in the dark alley nearby.

* * *

TBC

* * *

**A/N:** Ok! That's it for this chapter! Thank you all ((peers at the chirping crickets)) for your patience in waiting for this chapter to come out. And, thanks to a certain _some_one ((waves)) – you know who you are! – I'll try and get started on the next one ASAP. ((grumbles)) Stupid school… takes up all my free time…

And hey! Reviews are, you know, nice. Hint, hint. And now I'm done. Thanks again!


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